MMORPG != role play. I know it has the letters RP in there...but you should know better by now that RPing has more to do with the type of game than the way people act in the servers.
If they made it more realistic it would be even more boring than it already is. Trust me...after the initial few months you will see...the game has very little to offer other than for the hardcore PvPer...and even then, it is a lot of boring stuff.
In a game like Eve, T2 BPOs can give an alliance a huge advantage since they are able to essentially print money. Since the GM scandal, the alliance BoB was able to take advantage of ill gotten T2 BPOs for many months allowing them to dominate the game. Why didn't you address the issue of the BPOs before the GM was outed? Why did you not fire the person responsible? How can you regain the trust of the community? Currently, it seems like you just delete posts and hope it goes away. But Eve has been permanently been tainted by one employees action. Are you going to take any steps in the future to further address this?
Also, it is clear Eve can not handle its current playerbase (gate queues, lag in large battles). Have you considered multiple servers to lighten the load?
You are comparing console sales with game sales...while they are related, they aren't in the sense you are talking about. I am going to make a bold statement here that a lot of Slashdotters won't like: Innovation doesn't matter that much in games. Listen, there are always going to be a few new innovative games coming out, but never as many as there was back when gaming was new. When gaming was new, you had to innovate because nothing existed. I don't know why people don't understand that.
The simple fact is the best thing developers can do is make games fun and make sure they are finished. Do not rush a game out. If you make a great game...even if it is from some standard genre...people are going to play and enjoy it.
Innovation does need to exist so that we can find new genres and explore new areas, but it is not the best way to make money or a great game. Innovation != good games.
What planet do you live on? Sonyfanboiter? If Sony isn't troubled then they are flat out stupid. The 360 already has a large market penetration (at least in the US). Nintendo is taking the world by storm. Sony has the fewest consoles out. If you were a game developer, would you want to make an exclusive title for the PS3? Hell no! You will multi-platform it. This makes even less of a reason to buy a PS3 vs a Wii or 360 which are cheaper and have better game selection.
Barely holding on....where do you guys come up with this stuff.
Bah..Insightful my ass. The cheapest console doesn't always win. Look at PS2 vs Gamecube. Why didn't the Gamecube win? Adjusted for inflation the PS3 isn't much different than the early consoles. The main difference this round is that Nintendo has made something that third parties actually want to develop for. They realized that graphically, there can not be very much improvement without spending a lot of money on hardware. They took a gamble that changing the way you interface with a game would draw more than the latest and greatest system specs. Turns out they were right this round.
Exactly...if Sony loses the main Final Fantasy series exclusive, you can officially declare the PS3 the "loser". I doubt they would move to the Wii (with the main series) just because I think they like to push the envelope and the Wii hardware won't be enough compared to the PS3/360. But SquareEnix is already going back to Nintendo as they seem to be more friendly to third parties than they have in the past.
I have been waiting this out, but it truly looks like the PS3 is screwed. They are just not moving enough consoles to attract exclusives. Any moron is going to look at the numbers and find the 360/Wii to be more attractive to produce a game for. Sony is going to have to pull something out of its hat soon or you are going to see some massive amount of firings of upper management.
Not that I disagree with most your points...but to say the Wii looks the same as the PS3 and 360 on normal TVs is just false. The difference is large and very easy to see. Graphics aren't everything..of course, but don't make stuff up.
Personally, I think the Wii is fine and will get one eventually. A co-worker though tried playing it and hated it because there was too much delay between the controller and the game he was playing. Clearly it isn't a problem for most people...but it is one of the more legitimate complaints I have heard about the system.
I am trying to refrain from putting you down, but it is really hard. How in the heck is this unreasonable behavior? I know the whole bnted thing...and I agree that Blizzard was right to shut that down because its primary reason to exist was to allow people to play their game online without paying for it. I don't know of your Diablo example, so I can't really comment on that...but you really can't comment on WoW.
The program allows a person to leave their computer and let the script play for them. It is cheating...period. Blizzard has done an amazing job with their interface...allowing tons of user created AddOns that enhance your ability to play the game. But making something like this is unacceptable to everyone who plays the game. Stopping cheaters and gold sellers is why a lot of people support Blizzard. There was rampant cheating in FFXI that turned so many away. Blizzard has to fight to keep their game cheat free and I say good for them for doing it.
And then there are people like you that applaud people who find ways to allow people to cheat. Seriously, what is wrong with you? If you don't like the way Blizzard runs their games, then don't buy them. Don't encourage people to find ways of screwing over others.
You are confusing difficulty with wasting your time for no good reason. Other games are "harder" because they are more harsh to the player. Crafting isn't difficult because it is hard to figure out, it is difficut because you fail a lot. Is it harder to level in other games? Sure, but the difficulty isn't something that requires more intelligence...you do the same thing over and over playing it safe because the penalties are so harsh when you die. This isn't fun.
That is the main difference between WoW and a lot of other MMORPGS, they actually remove all the stupid stuff that makes the game a job. Plenty of hardcore players play WoW. The people who think they are "real" hardcore players because it takes them a year to get the max level are just trying to justify throwing all that time away grinding. I enjoy doing things that are fun. Just because you like hitting your head with a hammer doesn't make you more of a man (hardcore)...it just makes everyone else think you are stupid.
Hardcore players are not declining. There are more hardcore gamers now than any time in history. There is just a large market for casual games and that market may be (is) larger than the market for hardcore gamers. This is kind of a "duh" moment. Hardcore, by definition, is represented by those people who take things to an extreme. If everyone was hardcore, then that would be "normal" and wouldn't be called hardcore. So they are saying games that appeal to "normal" people (i.e. the majority) sell better than games that sell to a niche. Brilliant! Sometimes I seriously wonder how people get paid to figure out the obvious.
...it's a blog. Opinions should go below the article...not be the article itself. Why should we care if some guy feels lame playing multiplayer with strangers? If that were true for everyone, multiplayer wouldn't exist the way it does right now. He isn't talking about online trends or how to improve anything. He is just whining. What will his next "article" be? Will we find out what he had for lunch or how people picked on him because of his haircut?
Yeah...he was pretty off base. But he did state one thing that I agree with. It is really really boring. The PvE missions repeat so that after you have done it once you know what to expect. PvP is mainly sitting at gates and killing defenseless people who hop through. There is some good PvP but you have to be in a good corp with a good alliance that embraces war. But losses are more devestating than in other MMORPGs. And the only way to get the in game currency is to grind. And that is the major flaw of the game...PvP is the only fun part...yet it forces you to PvE to participate.
Of course I am being a little overly harsh. You can PvP in a group and use the cheaper ships so it isn't a big loss. As long as you don't mind filling that role, you will PvP all you want (assuming you have people to kill). But if you want to fly the bigger ships, you will need to do a very boring grind. My one other large criticism of the game is that it has the worst UI on the face of the planet. The people who play the game call it complexity and pat themselves on the back for being mature and intelligent...but it is just designed poorly. They consider skill having to click through 16 menus to be able to figure something out. And if you do offer any criticism, they just ask for your stuff and tell you to quit the game. Quite frankly, the game attracts griefers and jerks at a much higher rate than other games. Of course, there are good people too...you just have to look hard for them.
You know, just because there is cursing doesn't mean that they were trying to make it more mature. I imagine if you were in Iraq and taking/returning fire you would be using some colorful phrases as well. I think it fits in with what is going on.
I mean think about it...if these guys were running around yelling "darn!" "aw heck" it would ruin the immersion.
Uh...I think you are completely ignorant of what Blue Dragon is. If you did know what it is, you would know why what you wrote is 100% false. It never ceases to amaze me how a Slashdotter thinks they are more intelligent than the people at a billion dollar corporation.
MS DOES get what Japanese gamers want. Blue Dragon proves this. They have taken some of the biggest Japanese names in RPGs an anime and put them to the task of creating an exclusive Xbox360 JRPG title.
Your post is not insightful...it is clueless being modded up by others without a clue as well.
Seriously, how does a game company monitor sites external to themsleves? They can't, they won't, they don't. If people are getting their sites hacked, then you bring in law enforcement. Ultimately, it is just a game (and it is a pretty boring one...I know, I play it). Should Blizzard take my Epics if I am caught shoplifting the expansion pack?
The story may be interesting...but the questions being asked are not the right ones.
I have used XP for years now and have not had to fix problems related to viruses, system crashes, or been in safe mode. I had drivers issues with some games...but that is pretty typical. You want to have the latest graphical drivers to get the best performance and work with the games that are out. In any case, you could very easily teach them the proper use of their computer and install a software firewall, AV, and adware/spyware cleaners. Those simple steps make a huge difference.
Do other OS's have a security advantage over XP by their design? Yes, they do. But it is much more slim than the Mac and Linux users want you to believe. If you are dealing with people who have to open every single attachment even if they don't know the person...the type that will download anything and everything from whatever site they come across...then the game is over. The only protection that Macs and Linux boxes provide at that point is that they have such a small marketshare that no one cares to write viruses for them. This can change in an instant if people see the marketshare large enough for it to be lucrative to attack those hosts. Now you have all of the most clueless people running Macs and smugly thinking to themsleves that they are safe from viruses. It's the behavior we need to be concerned with. Your OS is only as secure as the user on it. Blaming XP for the problem is ignoring the real issues and trying to force your OS bias on others.
No, it is just a scam. All this thing does is generate press allowing a few people to make some money while taking advantage of suckers. I am really tired of all the articles about it (it seems there are at least 3 a week minimum...far more than any other game). I've had enough of Slashdot advertizing this boring, poorly written "thingie".
Are you insane? Are the mods insane? You think the next generation of consoles will be out in 2009? What kind crack are you smoking? Console life cycles are 4 years at the very least (xbox->xbox360). It is more commonly 5-6 years. I don't think MS will have such a short lifecycle on their console again. The only reason they were so fast is that they wanted to correct the mistakes they made from their entry in to the market.
Now you may be right that the console war will be over by then because one will have so large of a marketshare that every third party develops for them and the loser gets few exclusives.
The only reason that the PS3 is a tough sale at this point is lack of games worth playing. It has one game that doesn't suck.
Sony is probably going to be too far behind this round to dominiate like it did with the PS2. But it still can be quite successful. It's superior hardware allows it to have a longer lifecycle. The difference between how the Wii and the PS3 looks is already huge and that gap will only widen as the lifecycle goes on. If Sony can solve the exclusive game problem, then they will do alright. Just no way can they dominate like they did before.
Of course, there isn't really a war. We have three great consoles to choose right now. I don't want anyone to win the war...I want them all to be profitable and continue to make game machines. Only fanboys are dumb enough to want someone to win. The more competition, the better it is for us consumers.
I really wish you weren't modded up. Quite franking, it is none of your business how people spend their money. I personally don't spend money on virtual items, but still. We all choose to do things that cost money that we don't have to. We don't have to go out to eat. We don't have to go out to the movies. We can just drink water. We can not have pets. We can stop doing a lot of things that make us enjoy life and give to charities.
But we aren't going to do that...and neither do you DogAlmity. Until you give up all the things you enjoy and give the saving to charity you are a hypocrite. And one of the worst kinds of hypocrites too...one that tells other people how to live their lives.
While I don't really disagree with you, your gas pedal example is inaccurate. Buttons are more than just on and off. Buttons on most modern controllers are sensitive to the amount of pressure being applied on the button, so you can control how fast you accelerate or keep yourself from going top speed. So buttons have less of a limitation than you think. And all waggling is is pointing back and fourth which can be represented by a regular controller. Pretty much any idea you come up with can be emulated by a normal controller. The one thing it does gain you is that it is a more intuitive, easier to use interface to the game.
Slashdot Mirror
MMORPG != role play. I know it has the letters RP in there...but you should know better by now that RPing has more to do with the type of game than the way people act in the servers.
If they made it more realistic it would be even more boring than it already is. Trust me...after the initial few months you will see...the game has very little to offer other than for the hardcore PvPer...and even then, it is a lot of boring stuff.
by Anonymous Coward oops, you are already out
In a game like Eve, T2 BPOs can give an alliance a huge advantage since they are able to essentially print money. Since the GM scandal, the alliance BoB was able to take advantage of ill gotten T2 BPOs for many months allowing them to dominate the game. Why didn't you address the issue of the BPOs before the GM was outed? Why did you not fire the person responsible? How can you regain the trust of the community? Currently, it seems like you just delete posts and hope it goes away. But Eve has been permanently been tainted by one employees action. Are you going to take any steps in the future to further address this?
Also, it is clear Eve can not handle its current playerbase (gate queues, lag in large battles). Have you considered multiple servers to lighten the load?
You are comparing console sales with game sales...while they are related, they aren't in the sense you are talking about. I am going to make a bold statement here that a lot of Slashdotters won't like: Innovation doesn't matter that much in games. Listen, there are always going to be a few new innovative games coming out, but never as many as there was back when gaming was new. When gaming was new, you had to innovate because nothing existed. I don't know why people don't understand that.
The simple fact is the best thing developers can do is make games fun and make sure they are finished. Do not rush a game out. If you make a great game...even if it is from some standard genre...people are going to play and enjoy it.
Innovation does need to exist so that we can find new genres and explore new areas, but it is not the best way to make money or a great game. Innovation != good games.
What planet do you live on? Sonyfanboiter? If Sony isn't troubled then they are flat out stupid. The 360 already has a large market penetration (at least in the US). Nintendo is taking the world by storm. Sony has the fewest consoles out. If you were a game developer, would you want to make an exclusive title for the PS3? Hell no! You will multi-platform it. This makes even less of a reason to buy a PS3 vs a Wii or 360 which are cheaper and have better game selection.
Barely holding on....where do you guys come up with this stuff.
Bah..Insightful my ass. The cheapest console doesn't always win. Look at PS2 vs Gamecube. Why didn't the Gamecube win? Adjusted for inflation the PS3 isn't much different than the early consoles. The main difference this round is that Nintendo has made something that third parties actually want to develop for. They realized that graphically, there can not be very much improvement without spending a lot of money on hardware. They took a gamble that changing the way you interface with a game would draw more than the latest and greatest system specs. Turns out they were right this round.
Exactly...if Sony loses the main Final Fantasy series exclusive, you can officially declare the PS3 the "loser". I doubt they would move to the Wii (with the main series) just because I think they like to push the envelope and the Wii hardware won't be enough compared to the PS3/360. But SquareEnix is already going back to Nintendo as they seem to be more friendly to third parties than they have in the past.
I have been waiting this out, but it truly looks like the PS3 is screwed. They are just not moving enough consoles to attract exclusives. Any moron is going to look at the numbers and find the 360/Wii to be more attractive to produce a game for. Sony is going to have to pull something out of its hat soon or you are going to see some massive amount of firings of upper management.
Not that I disagree with most your points...but to say the Wii looks the same as the PS3 and 360 on normal TVs is just false. The difference is large and very easy to see. Graphics aren't everything..of course, but don't make stuff up.
Personally, I think the Wii is fine and will get one eventually. A co-worker though tried playing it and hated it because there was too much delay between the controller and the game he was playing. Clearly it isn't a problem for most people...but it is one of the more legitimate complaints I have heard about the system.
I am trying to refrain from putting you down, but it is really hard. How in the heck is this unreasonable behavior? I know the whole bnted thing...and I agree that Blizzard was right to shut that down because its primary reason to exist was to allow people to play their game online without paying for it. I don't know of your Diablo example, so I can't really comment on that...but you really can't comment on WoW.
The program allows a person to leave their computer and let the script play for them. It is cheating...period. Blizzard has done an amazing job with their interface...allowing tons of user created AddOns that enhance your ability to play the game. But making something like this is unacceptable to everyone who plays the game. Stopping cheaters and gold sellers is why a lot of people support Blizzard. There was rampant cheating in FFXI that turned so many away. Blizzard has to fight to keep their game cheat free and I say good for them for doing it.
And then there are people like you that applaud people who find ways to allow people to cheat. Seriously, what is wrong with you? If you don't like the way Blizzard runs their games, then don't buy them. Don't encourage people to find ways of screwing over others.
You are confusing difficulty with wasting your time for no good reason. Other games are "harder" because they are more harsh to the player. Crafting isn't difficult because it is hard to figure out, it is difficut because you fail a lot. Is it harder to level in other games? Sure, but the difficulty isn't something that requires more intelligence...you do the same thing over and over playing it safe because the penalties are so harsh when you die. This isn't fun.
That is the main difference between WoW and a lot of other MMORPGS, they actually remove all the stupid stuff that makes the game a job. Plenty of hardcore players play WoW. The people who think they are "real" hardcore players because it takes them a year to get the max level are just trying to justify throwing all that time away grinding. I enjoy doing things that are fun. Just because you like hitting your head with a hammer doesn't make you more of a man (hardcore)...it just makes everyone else think you are stupid.
Hardcore players are not declining. There are more hardcore gamers now than any time in history. There is just a large market for casual games and that market may be (is) larger than the market for hardcore gamers. This is kind of a "duh" moment. Hardcore, by definition, is represented by those people who take things to an extreme. If everyone was hardcore, then that would be "normal" and wouldn't be called hardcore. So they are saying games that appeal to "normal" people (i.e. the majority) sell better than games that sell to a niche. Brilliant! Sometimes I seriously wonder how people get paid to figure out the obvious.
The key to saving Sonic: make a game that doesn't suck. The end.
...it's a blog. Opinions should go below the article...not be the article itself. Why should we care if some guy feels lame playing multiplayer with strangers? If that were true for everyone, multiplayer wouldn't exist the way it does right now. He isn't talking about online trends or how to improve anything. He is just whining. What will his next "article" be? Will we find out what he had for lunch or how people picked on him because of his haircut?
Yeah...he was pretty off base. But he did state one thing that I agree with. It is really really boring. The PvE missions repeat so that after you have done it once you know what to expect. PvP is mainly sitting at gates and killing defenseless people who hop through. There is some good PvP but you have to be in a good corp with a good alliance that embraces war. But losses are more devestating than in other MMORPGs. And the only way to get the in game currency is to grind. And that is the major flaw of the game...PvP is the only fun part...yet it forces you to PvE to participate.
Of course I am being a little overly harsh. You can PvP in a group and use the cheaper ships so it isn't a big loss. As long as you don't mind filling that role, you will PvP all you want (assuming you have people to kill). But if you want to fly the bigger ships, you will need to do a very boring grind.
My one other large criticism of the game is that it has the worst UI on the face of the planet. The people who play the game call it complexity and pat themselves on the back for being mature and intelligent...but it is just designed poorly. They consider skill having to click through 16 menus to be able to figure something out. And if you do offer any criticism, they just ask for your stuff and tell you to quit the game. Quite frankly, the game attracts griefers and jerks at a much higher rate than other games. Of course, there are good people too...you just have to look hard for them.
You know, just because there is cursing doesn't mean that they were trying to make it more mature. I imagine if you were in Iraq and taking/returning fire you would be using some colorful phrases as well. I think it fits in with what is going on.
I mean think about it...if these guys were running around yelling "darn!" "aw heck" it would ruin the immersion.
Go put together a 600 dollar gaming PC...and let me know if it is high end. I know you are joking..but still :P
There is actually this small startup over there called Sony. I am sure you will be hearing about them someday soon.
Uh...I think you are completely ignorant of what Blue Dragon is. If you did know what it is, you would know why what you wrote is 100% false. It never ceases to amaze me how a Slashdotter thinks they are more intelligent than the people at a billion dollar corporation.
MS DOES get what Japanese gamers want. Blue Dragon proves this. They have taken some of the biggest Japanese names in RPGs an anime and put them to the task of creating an exclusive Xbox360 JRPG title.
Your post is not insightful...it is clueless being modded up by others without a clue as well.
Seriously, how does a game company monitor sites external to themsleves? They can't, they won't, they don't. If people are getting their sites hacked, then you bring in law enforcement. Ultimately, it is just a game (and it is a pretty boring one...I know, I play it). Should Blizzard take my Epics if I am caught shoplifting the expansion pack?
The story may be interesting...but the questions being asked are not the right ones.
I have used XP for years now and have not had to fix problems related to viruses, system crashes, or been in safe mode. I had drivers issues with some games...but that is pretty typical. You want to have the latest graphical drivers to get the best performance and work with the games that are out. In any case, you could very easily teach them the proper use of their computer and install a software firewall, AV, and adware/spyware cleaners. Those simple steps make a huge difference.
Do other OS's have a security advantage over XP by their design? Yes, they do. But it is much more slim than the Mac and Linux users want you to believe. If you are dealing with people who have to open every single attachment even if they don't know the person...the type that will download anything and everything from whatever site they come across...then the game is over. The only protection that Macs and Linux boxes provide at that point is that they have such a small marketshare that no one cares to write viruses for them. This can change in an instant if people see the marketshare large enough for it to be lucrative to attack those hosts. Now you have all of the most clueless people running Macs and smugly thinking to themsleves that they are safe from viruses. It's the behavior we need to be concerned with. Your OS is only as secure as the user on it. Blaming XP for the problem is ignoring the real issues and trying to force your OS bias on others.
No, it is just a scam. All this thing does is generate press allowing a few people to make some money while taking advantage of suckers. I am really tired of all the articles about it (it seems there are at least 3 a week minimum...far more than any other game). I've had enough of Slashdot advertizing this boring, poorly written "thingie".
Please, just make it stop.
Are you insane? Are the mods insane? You think the next generation of consoles will be out in 2009? What kind crack are you smoking? Console life cycles are 4 years at the very least (xbox->xbox360). It is more commonly 5-6 years. I don't think MS will have such a short lifecycle on their console again. The only reason they were so fast is that they wanted to correct the mistakes they made from their entry in to the market.
Now you may be right that the console war will be over by then because one will have so large of a marketshare that every third party develops for them and the loser gets few exclusives.
The only reason that the PS3 is a tough sale at this point is lack of games worth playing. It has one game that doesn't suck.
Sony is probably going to be too far behind this round to dominiate like it did with the PS2. But it still can be quite successful. It's superior hardware allows it to have a longer lifecycle. The difference between how the Wii and the PS3 looks is already huge and that gap will only widen as the lifecycle goes on. If Sony can solve the exclusive game problem, then they will do alright. Just no way can they dominate like they did before.
Of course, there isn't really a war. We have three great consoles to choose right now. I don't want anyone to win the war...I want them all to be profitable and continue to make game machines. Only fanboys are dumb enough to want someone to win. The more competition, the better it is for us consumers.
I really wish you weren't modded up. Quite franking, it is none of your business how people spend their money. I personally don't spend money on virtual items, but still. We all choose to do things that cost money that we don't have to. We don't have to go out to eat. We don't have to go out to the movies. We can just drink water. We can not have pets. We can stop doing a lot of things that make us enjoy life and give to charities.
But we aren't going to do that...and neither do you DogAlmity. Until you give up all the things you enjoy and give the saving to charity you are a hypocrite. And one of the worst kinds of hypocrites too...one that tells other people how to live their lives.
While I don't really disagree with you, your gas pedal example is inaccurate. Buttons are more than just on and off. Buttons on most modern controllers are sensitive to the amount of pressure being applied on the button, so you can control how fast you accelerate or keep yourself from going top speed. So buttons have less of a limitation than you think. And all waggling is is pointing back and fourth which can be represented by a regular controller. Pretty much any idea you come up with can be emulated by a normal controller. The one thing it does gain you is that it is a more intuitive, easier to use interface to the game.